Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-06-30

mission of st. Joseplh
/ For awhile the Ffodland chapel
prospered. and then he shadow OF the
evil genius of Marybnd fell over the
land.
The sound Of rtny feet. not the
stealthy tread Of tIt Indian. but the
martial tramp of ms trained to arms.
broke the sylvan siIxse. There was
for bz;sf space s,anOis< q battles.
hard blows were given ana blOol was
spilled, for the Neales. the teys and
Fenwicks came of no ta,seant race,
and fought bravely for thei faith, but
in vain. The midnight sky vas red
dened by the flames of the little lhurch,
built amidst so many hardship. sane
tilted by so many prayers, AID the
morning sun shone on the clarred
ruins of the mission.
Nothing daunted, the settlers, aided
by the Christian Indians, again erect
ed place of worship. This time a
more pretentious one. for though built
of log. it was faced with English
brick-in spite Of an articls recently
written to prove that none were i'm
ported from the mother country.
Tradition holds and points clearly to
the fact that ships carrying tobacco
from Maryland to England brought
oack as ballast the quaint bricks that
faced so many of the anciert houses
of the Colony, and that the frs chapel
at st. Marys city was built Of them.
The bricks from the ruins of this
church, passing into the possession of
bigoted Protestant, have BEEN used
by him in erecting stable, although
he was offered liberal price 70. them
by some Catholic gentlemen who were
most anxious to rescue these relics
from so base usage.
Sad as it seems, it is nevertheless
true, that the spot which should be
dearest to the Catholics of the United
States is in possession of the Prot
estants; who, in the last year.aE. two,
have even seized upon the remnant Of
the old historic mulberry tree, under
which Mass was first celebrated in
Maryland, and having it converted in
canes, napkin-riDgs and like articles of
devotion, sell them for the benefit
of an Episcopal Church, as relics of a
tree under which Calvert signed a
treaty, with the Indians. It is almost
unnecessary to add that the legend of
the treaty being signed under "the
Mass tree, as it was fondly called by
the Catholics, is mere figment, ''in-
vented to suit the occasion" by zeal
Gus workers, anxious to replenish the
Golfers of the Protestant Episcopal
Church of ST. Mary's.
Extensive grants Of lands were made
to many of the gentlemen who accom-
panied or followed Baltimore to the
Colony, and soon stately homes arose
amid the forests surrounding St.
Joseph's. A descendant of the great
ONeale, flying from persecution in
ireland, settled at Hillylea. The
Fenwicks held the grant of st. Cuth-
bert's Manor; the Coles owned extern
sive estates bordering ON the Patuxent,
adjoining the lands Of the Taneys, who
first dwelt at Drum Cliffs, but subse-
quently moved across the river to
Battle Creek, and it is probable that
most Of these families aided in rebuild.
ing the church destroyed by Clay born
A fierce feud existed between the
Coles and Taneys, each laying CLAIM
''"~--'-.r-r - ha-da-;.a o..-C,
Cuthberts, now called Coles Greek
1t must have been a rather inconven,
lent quarrel for the Taneys, as it wa,
the landing nearest the three notch
road, which, after crossing the rive,
in canoes, they were obliged to tax,
to reach St. Joseph's, where still ther,
may be found in its desolate grave
yard some tombs of the family. The
writer remembers, when a child, read,
ing an inscription on an old broker
headstone erected in l7o5 to MARY
Taney, aged 16."
How fancy paints the scene, tn.
white palled coffin borne op the
shoulders Of the slaves. and follow ed
by the long procession Of mourner,
through the almost inpenetrabl.
woods. The groups Of Indians, watch,
ing Wit b hidden interest the buria
rites of the Christians as they laid tC
rest beneath the Titanic oaks of .',h.
forest primeval" the fair Eaglish girl
for whom no Dies Ir0s was chanted
within the unhewn walls OF the mis-
sion church. The serpent had stnns
the breast that warmed it. The
Catholic priest was no longer permit
ted 20 celebrate the diyise Office o
! IL. IL A. n-.I-